Firearms and cocaine trafficking chief jailed | USAEMALL.com

A young man who led a criminal syndicate that trafficked assault rifles and “enormous” amounts of cocaine across Queensland has been jailed for up to nine years.

Liam Brian Rudolph, 24, pleaded guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday to 22 charges including drug and weapons trafficking and supplying handguns, shotguns and AR-15 military style rifles.

Crown prosecutor Brendan White said Rudolph was headed a syndicate that supplied primarily cocaine from street-level to wholesale deals between February 7 and August 19, 2022.

“There is the enormous amount of dangerous drugs (Rudolph) was moving through the community,” Mr White said.

“He is the head of the syndicate, he has put into the community dozens of firearms. These are serious and dangerous weapons.”

An undercover police operative purchased the equivalent of 692 grams of pure cocaine and 17 firearms from Rudolph in exchange for more than $351,000.

Phone intercepts captured Rudolph speaking to people he referred to as “my runners” about supplying drugs and guns.

Mr White said some of Rudolph’s offending was on the worst scale and he could be sentenced to more than the mandatory minimum five years in custody for his weapons dealing.

Defence barrister Saul Holt said Rudolph had no prior criminal record and had taken literacy classes in custody while working as a senior cook.

“He has been thinking hard about what he did and he has shown genuine insight into the harm his actions have caused,” Mr Holt said.

Mr Holt said Rudolph’s offending was unsophisticated and driven by his cocaine addiction and subsequent debts, with him advertising drugs and guns on the Snapchat social media app.

“This was like shooting fish in a barrel … he was always going to get caught,” Mr Holt said.

Justice Declan Kelly said Rudolph’s offending was serious but it had escalated as a result of requests from the undercover police operative.

“Firearms trafficking is insidious and puts at risk the lives of innocent members of the community,” Justice Kelly said.

Rudolph was jailed for nine years with three years non-parole due to his 23 months already spent in custody.